The starting point

The starting point

Friday 28 October 2016

25/10/16 Kings Canyon Creek walk


  Time to move again , so we packed & hitched up and hit the road again , todays destination is Kings Canyon . We are a bit excited to be going here , people’s recommendations and all the hype about it !!
 The drive was interesting , when we reached the turn off Lasseters Hwy it seemed to be uphill most of the way - probably just an illusion !!! The wildflowers are still going - getting toward the end though . There’s one section where you go through a Desert Oak forest - not a very thick forest though - it was still interesting with all the younger trees and the older ones with dark trunks .
 We stopped at a rest area for some lunch and a driver change and saw our first dingo for quite some time . It was hanging around the picnic tables , lying in the shade of one table . 
 Before much longer we’d arrived at Kings Creek Station , checked in and set up , not wanting to waste any time , we headed to Kings Canyon - about 38 klms away . The road in is good , bitumen all the way to the carpark . The last section in was through lots of wildflowers - some still flowering , others just bleached white dried out specimens - it covered a very large are !!
 Reaching the carpark , we got some water , hats , & stick , and set off up the Kings Canyon Creek Walk - a 2.6 klm return walk on formed paths . There’s a water station to top up your bottles and warning signs about the Rim Walk & South Rim Walk - gates close and the walk is closed at 9am if the days temperature is going to be 36 degrees or above !!! 
 The Canyon is a V shaped valley with exposed sandstone cliffs , some smooth , some rough and weathered .



 The creek bed is a stoney affair , large chunky rocks , redgums and cycads . The walk is shaded for a good part and is an easy stroll .


 Wind eroded rocks were plentiful and revealed many patterns .






Before long we’d reached the end and turned to come back when a kangaroo bounded down some of the rocks straight towards us , we sat still and waited , it stopped and then came forward again , before finally realising we were there and turning away .


 There are plenty of Mulla Mulla flowering here at the moment , and make a contrast against the orange rock .


  2 slabs of rock were beside the path , and they almost look like woodgrain .


 Then further down on one of the rocks cemented in the path appeared to be a fossil of some creatures footprints , like we saw in Kalbari .


 These are the steps that lead up the side of the mountain at the start of the rim walk - they lead up the ridge - 100 m higher than the start !!!


 Hopefully the Rim Walk will be better than the creek walk - we were a little underwhelmed with it to be honest !! Hate to think we drove all this way to get here and will leave disappointed - that would be a cruel joke - tomorrow will tell !!
 With that we headed back home to prepare for tomorrow .

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